Traffic mess in Karachi as roads blocked amid protest at press club against Imaan and Hadi’s conviction

2026-01-26 - 15:19

KARACHI: Roads leading to the Karachi Press Club (KPC) were blocked for hours on Monday as lawyers, human rights activists and civil society members staged a protest against the conviction of Imaan Zainab Hazir-Mazari and her husband, Hadi Ali Chatta. The closure of roads slowed down the movement of traffic on several arteries affected by the move, causing inconvenience for commuters. Police barred several protesters, including activist Zulfikar Ali Bhutto Junior, from reaching the press club — a move that KPC President and journalist Fazil Jamili called a violation of the fundamental right to peaceful assembly. “The siege of the Karachi Press Club today is a blatant assault on democratic freedoms. By cordoning off the KPC and barring citizens, including Zulfiqar Bhutto Jr., from protesting the sentencing of Imaan Mazari, authorities are violating the fundamental right to peaceful assembly,” he posted on social media platform X. Meanwhile, Zulfikar Bhutto Junior, the son of late politician Murtaza Bhutto, staged a sit-in at the KPC Roundabout when he was stopped from reaching the press club. Speaking to the media there, he said that police were not even allowing them to protest on the pavements. “We are being deprived of fundamental human rights. I want to participate in the protest, but participation in the protest has become a crime,” he said. On Mazari and Chattha’s sentencing, he said, “They were convicted over just a tweet. My father faced similar treatment by the police.” Activist Sheema Kermani was also among the protesters staging a sit-in at the KPC Roundabout. Meanwhile, roads around Zainab Market and the roundabout near the Arts Council of Pakistan remained blocked. Some of the routes were reopened and the sit-in ended at around 6:45pm when Zulfikar Bhutto Junior and others were allowed to go to the KPC. Zulfikar Bhutto Junior again spoke to the media at the KPC, where he said there were no restrictions on protest in a democracy. “Only thieves are happy in this country, and I am talking about those thieves who hold posts and are sitting in Islamabad,” he commented. Earlier, an update on Karachi traffic police’s X account confirmed the closure of Deen Muhammad Wafai Road and Sarwar Shaheed Road at around 5pm.